


A Song on the Frozen Air

by Fairleigh



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Animal Husbandry, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Magic, F/M, POV Outsider, Wildlings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26550751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairleigh/pseuds/Fairleigh
Summary: Twila doesn't want to hear the swine screaming. She hears something else on the frozen air instead.
Relationships: Corpse Queen/Night's King (ASoIaF)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5
Collections: Darkest Night 2020





	A Song on the Frozen Air

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Witcherology](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witcherology/gifts).



Twila plugged her ears with her fingers. Her mother had gone out into sty to slaughter one of the family’s fattened swine, and she didn’t want to hear the screaming.

Sometimes her mother was swift enough, and the swine in question was dead before it even felt the blade. They were wary, though, and all too often they seemed to sense that death was coming for them. The very same animal that ran to Twila at feeding time like a happy doggy begging for a treat would lift its little tail high in the air and run, like it knew in advance that _it_ was about to become food for the table.

She didn’t begrudge any of it. Winter was long and hard and cold, and without food they would die. Their herd of swine — happily gorging themselves on roots, acorns, and berries in the forest throughout the summer — and making more new piglets — was the only thing that stood between the family and certain starvation. If in the summer man and swine coexisted in harmony, in the winter it was man versus swine, us versus them, and given the circumstances Twila knew whose side she was on.

But. _But._ How she hated hearing the swine scream! How her older brothers and sisters mocked her for it! And so what? Twila didn’t care what they thought. She would hunch down and hide in the snowdrifts behind the family’s homestead, huddled here in her heaviest furs until it was over and it was safe to come out again.

Was it safe to come out again yet?

Hesitantly, Twila unplugged her ears and listened. No screaming. Maybe it was over? Or maybe the swine had given chase and her mother hadn’t caught up to it yet? Maybe Twila ought to wait just a little bit long — wait, what was that sound?

Was it the wind? No, it sounded like music. Singing. _A woman was singing._

Twila rose up from where she was hiding and began walking in the direction of the singing. She didn’t understand the words, but she’d never heard any voice more beautiful, more enchanting. She just _had_ to meets the owner of that voice.

Instead, she saw the man first. Twila froze, terror paralyzing her muscles. His black garb was unmistakable; he was a crow, a man of the Night’s Watch. Crows killed people like Twila. Had he found their family? Had he come to kill Twila, her mother, her father, and her older brothers and sisters?

No. His blade was sheathed. Twila released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and relaxed. He’d come for the same reason she had; he’d come for the singing woman.

Twila could see her now. She was as pale as fresh snow, and like her voice, she was beautiful. Enchanting. Twila watched the crow approach the pale woman without fear, black versus white. The pale woman stopped singing. The crow kissed her boldly, ardently, like a lover. She reciprocated.

Was this a secret tryst? Twila hadn’t meant to spy. Hurriedly, she backed away from the scene —

Too late. The pale woman had seen her. And her _eyes_ , blue as glacial ice —!

At that moment, the screaming started. At first Twila thought it was one of the swine. Then she realized that _she_ was the one screaming.

A moment later, though, Twila was beyond caring. The thing that had been Twila knew that her new mistress was hungry and needed to eat. Good thing there was a family living nearby that was ripe for the slaughter.


End file.
